Let It Rain
by GraySnowie
Summary: After the battle with Tartaros, Juvia falls into a coma from her injuries. Convenient timing, because Gray is finally ready to tell her how he feels about her. He waits weeks by her bedside for Juvia to wake up, and when she finally does, it turns out Juvia has amnesia. Gruvia
1. The Wait

**Let it Rain**

* * *

Song suggestion as you read the chapter: Rain - Ed Carlsen

* * *

Shallow and struggling breaths filled the otherwise silent air of the dimly lit room.

Gray sat solemnly at his usual chair beside the patient's bed. He was worn, sleep-deprived, and utterly exhausted, energy drained from the most recent fight and now constant worrying. Gray closed his eyes and listened to her uneven and fitful breathing, the only sound that he could hear in the dark infirmary.

It had been two weeks since the guild's fight with Tartaros. Most of the guild members were injured, but most recovered and were up and about now, helping to repair the guild or the city. Some members were even starting to go on missions already. It had been two weeks since Juvia had infested the demon Keyes' body and destroyed him. It had been two weeks since she last opened her eyes.

Gray clenched his fists. _Because of me._ This was his fault. Juvia defeated Keyes at the cost of his magical barrier particles flooding her system and nearly killing her. She did this for Gray, to give his father the sweet release of death because Gray was too cowardly to end his father's life himself.

And Juvia paid the price. She had a fatal dosage of magical barrier particles in her body, and for two weeks, she laid in an infirmary bed, deep in a coma.

"I'm sorry," Gray said hoarsely. _I should have killed my father so you wouldn't have to, and I should have protected you from Keyes._

Gray shuddered as he recalled the words Porlyusica said the first time she assessed Juvia's condition after the battle. _"It'll be a miracle if she recovers without any permanent damage."_

As hard as it was, Gray refused to believe that. Fairy Tail was a guild built on miracles, on the unknown and the impossible. Juvia was one of the strongest people he had ever known, and he knew she would pull through this.

Gray turned to the side and watched Juvia, her sickly pale pallor, her clammy skin. He raised a hand and laid it on her feverish forehead, using his magic to cool her down. With his other hand he held tightly to Juvia's limp hand.

"Juvia..." he whispered, hoping she could hear him. Gray spent years making the same mistake, pushing away loved ones in fear that he would lose them like he lost his parents and Ur. He missed her adoring eyes seeking him every time he walked into a room, her overenthusiasm and perseverance, her home-cooked meals made from loving hands, and the way she called his name like it was the most beautiful word in the language. And now here Juvia was, lying unconscious and half-dead, and all Gray could think about was how much time he wasted trying to push her away instead of cherishing her.

Every minute Juvia had been in this bed, Gray had been beside her, wanting to be there when she awoke and then finally tell her how he felt. Tell her that he was sorry he had wasted all these years ignoring her, tell her that he wanted things to be different between them, tell her that he loved her.

Gray was pulled out of his thoughts by the door opening and the room filling with light from the hallway outside. Gray squinted his eyes, not yet adjusted to the brightness, and saw Mirajane, a concerned look on her face.

"Gray, you should get some dinner," she said gently.

"I'll have it up here," he said without taking his eyes off Juvia.

"No," Mirajane said firmly. Gray looked at her in surprise. "No. You've been in this room for two weeks now. You need to get fresh air, eat with your friends, and stop moping and blaming yourself for Juvia's condition."

"I can't leave-"

"I'll stay and take care of her. Gray, I know you want to be there when she wakes up, but she's not going to be happy when she sees you looking this ragged and worried. It's clear you haven't been taking care of yourself. You've gotten thinner, and you have dark circles under your eyes." Mirajane walked over and sat down next to Gray. "Go get some food. Go home, take a shower, and get some sleep in an actual bed instead of this chair you've been living on for weeks."

"But-"

"No but's!" Mirajane grabbed his hands and pulled him up so that he was standing. "I promise, Juvia will still be here in the morning waiting for you. If you're unwilling to do yourself a favor, then do her a favor so you can look like the charming prince she's always dreamed of when she wakes up. Okay?"

Gray chuckled at that. "I guess one night away from Juvia can't hurt." Mirajane was already pushing him out of the room. "Tell me if anything new happens to her."

"I promise!" Mirajane said, and with one last shove, Gray was finally out of the room.

* * *

Gray kept to his promise to Mirajane. He ate and talked to his friends in the guild hall. He listened to stories about their day and found it nice to be distracted from his troubles. Gray even enjoyed fighting with Natsu that night. Everything seemed okay, seemed normal.

Mirajane walked to the bar and started cleaning cups with a towel.

"Mira! Did you Juvia alone?" Gray asked frustratingly.

"Gajeel's with her." Mirajane raised an eyebrow at him. "He's her best friend after all, and you haven't exactly been letting anyone have their own time with Juvia with you being up there all the time."

Gray looked away from her and grumbled.

"You've finished your dinner, now go home and get some rest," she coaxed.

Gray shook his head. "No, I think I'll stay here tonight, Juvia could-"

"GRAY!" shouted an angry redhead who popped up at the bar beside him.

The ice mage shuddered at Erza's tone.

"Go home," Erza said chillingly. "Now."

Gray got up wordlessly and rushed out the guild doors.

"And take a shower for Mavis's sake!" she shouted after him.

Erza turned to Mirajane and wordlessly indicated for another slice of strawberry cake on her plate.

"Thanks," Mirajane said and she cut another slice. "I wasn't sure if he was going to agree if you hadn't come in."

Erza slammed a metal plated fist onto the table. "You have to be firm! You're far too gentle, Mira," she said, shoving a forkful of cake into her mouth.

* * *

Gray arrived home for the first time in weeks. A fine layer of dust covered all his furniture and belongings, and clothes remained strewn about like they always were. He added his current clothes to the many piles on the floor and walked over to the shower.

Under the water, Gray scrubbed vigorously at his skin and hair. Quite a bit of filth had accumulated, and he truly wanted to look presentable to Juvia when she woke up.

 _Juvia._

Her name left a footprint in his brain that he found impossible to erase. All his waking thoughts were filled with her. Her dress, her hair, her scent, her smile. The water from the shower only made him think of Juvia even harder, as water magic was her trade.

He finally stepped out of the shower and got dressed, only to absentmindedly take off the clothes on his way to bed. Gray collapsed on the bed and almost instantaneously fell asleep, all the past weeks' physical and emotional strain catching up to him.

* * *

Sunlight that streamed through the open window coaxed Gray awake. He lightly awoke in his bed, warm from the sun and was briefly and blissfully unaware of his troubles. The grogginess from his mind quickly dissipated as he shot up in bed, remembering the woman imprinted always in his thoughts.

"Oh, shit!" he cursed, jumping out of bed and throwing on any clothes he could find. "I overslept!" he said, looking at the position of the sun in the sky. He grabbed a scarf from his dresser, the only article of clothing not on the floor, and carefully wrapped it around his neck. It was the scarf Juvia made him. He clenched his fist. She still didn't know he found it under all the snow and kept it all this time.

Gray burst through the door of his house and ran full throttle to the guild, unconsciously tossing his clothes off in the streets on the way there.

* * *

 _"Juvia knitted you a scarf!" the bluenette said eagerly._

 _"I don't need it," Gray said lamely._

 _"It's going to start getting colder soon!" she insisted._

 _"I'm an ice mage. I'm fine with the cold," he said indifferently._

 _Gray started to walk away, but stopped upon hearing Juvia's voice._

 _"Today...is our anniversary."_

 _"Anniversary?"_

 _"That's right!" Juvia said. "This is the 413th day Juvia and Gray have been in the same vicinity."_

 _"I've never heard of anyone celebrating such a totally random, meaningless anniversary like that before," he replied with a slightly cold undertone._

 _"It doesn't matter what it is as long as you are happy!" Juvia replied brightly._

 _Gray turned away. "Sorry, I'll see you some other time." He quickly dismissed her, leaving the scarf forgotten in the street._

 _"I can't let her get close to me," Gray mumbled to himself. Everyone he loved died: his parents, his entire city, and Ur. He sighed. It was Ur's death anniversary. He was a magnet of death, and he couldn't harm Juvia, or risk her getting close and him being hurt again._

 _He stopped in his tracks. Snow started falling. A memory of Ur wrapping a scarf around him in the snow surfaced to his mind._

 _Gray ran back the way he came. He fell to his knees and started digging through the snow, searching for the scarf Juvia made for him._

 _He finally found it and wrapped it around his neck. Maybe warmth wasn't so bad after all._

* * *

Gray breathed heavily as he ran. The guilt of how he treated her all this time weighed heavily on him. He needed to tell her everything, he needed to ask her forgiveness.

 _What's the worst that could happen? Juvia was fine last night, and she'll be fine this morning._ Even though Gray would never admit it, Gray was a lot more concerned with Juvia waking up without him being the first face she saw. Inexplicably, and no matter how unreasonable it sounded, he wanted to be the first person she saw, the first person to embrace her, and tell her how he felt. Their reunion was a scene Gray played out several times in his head, and he would be damned if it played out any other way in real life.

Raindrops plopped down on his skin, gradually increasing in frequency as Gray got closer to the guild. He frowned in annoyance. The chill from the rain wasn't what was bothering him, but that it made the streets and cobblestones more slippery.

When he arrived, Gray looked around at the guild hall. Something was amiss. The usual occupants weren't present: Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Mirajane, Cana, and Erza.

A commotion coming from the infirmary caught his attention and he bolted through. Everyone he noticed missing from the guild hall was standing in the infirmary room, crowded around Juvia's bed, solemn and worried looks on their faces.

He froze, did something happen to Juvia while he was gone?

A few people moved out of the way to give him a clear view of the bed and the girl on it.

Juvia.

Gray breathed again and stumbled forward incredulously. Juvia was sitting upright, her hands neatly folded in her lap, the sickly pallor of her skin gone. Gray pressed his hands down on the mattress and leaned forward, relieved that she was okay.

"Juvia," he breathed her name.

Juvia stared blankly back at him, an unfamiliar expression on her face. Her next words almost made his heart stop.

"Does Juvia know you?"


	2. Who?

_"It's hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember."_

* * *

Pain.

Pain was the only thing that Juvia could feel. She slipped in and out of consciousness like waves crashing on a shore, the pain pounding every time she arose, but soon dissipated when she submerged again.

Her thoughts were fuzzy and she couldn't think straight, but every once in awhile, she noticed voices speaking in the room and a cold hand holding her own.

Flashbacks and dreams came frequently to her, and they were so realistic she often couldn't tell whether something was a figment of her thoughts or real life.

Juvia dreamed often of her friends. Memories of Gray, Gajeel, Erza, Cana, Lucy, and Natsu came often and helped distract her from the pain. But soon, these beloved friends just became unfamiliar faces as she forgot their names, and then they disappeared entirely from her mind.

Gradually, her mind stopped racing and the pain subsided. Juvia no longer heard anything from the outside world, could see and hear and feel only blackness. Before she slipped under the darkness, flashes of bright silver flitted across her vision, and Juvia heard a whisper in her mind.

 _"Take care of Gray."_

And after the faint voice receded, Juvia thought and felt nothing at all.

* * *

Juvia woke up to the familiar pitter patter of rain outside and darkness against her eyelids. She slowly opened her eyes, which felt like there were thousand pound weights attached to each, and let out a yawn.

Startled from the noise, a girl with white hair dropped the book she had been reading and looked up at Juvia. She simply stared for a moment, disbelief in her expression, then her tears welled up in her eyes.

"Juvia!" she cried out as she hugged the water mage. "I'm so glad you're awake!"

Juvia only looked at the unfamiliar woman in confusion, who promptly dashed out of the room with exclamations of getting someone named Porlyusica and "telling everyone the good news," whatever that meant.

 _Why does Juvia feel so weak?_ Juvia struggled to sit herself upright, but finally managed to do so. _Where is Juvia?_ she pondered as she looked around the room. It seemed to be an infirmary of sorts, and Juvia appeared to be the patient. _What happened to Juvia? How did she get here?_ Juvia exhaled quietly and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. She was starting to develop a headache.

Juvia looked up when she heard a loud commotion in the hall. The door burst open and several more people Juvia didn't know walked into the room and crowded around her bed, smiling and all talking at once. Juvia turned away and curled up. They were so loud, and the pounding in her head was getting worse.

"Silence!" said an authoritative voice. "I told you that I should examine her first, but you hooligans didn't listen to me." Juvia turned to the voice, which was coming from a older lady with pink hair.

Juvia let the woman, who seemed to be the healer, examine her. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

"Juvia has a headache. But it's nothing too bad," she said, putting her faith into the doctor. She looked around once again. Maybe Juvia got injured on a mission and these people kindly decided to take her in and heal her. She weakly spoke up. "Where is Juvia?"

A busty blonde girl replied. "Juvia," she said sweetly, "you're in the Fairy Tail infirmary. You were poisoned by too many magical barrier particles when you defeated Keyes at the Tartarus battle."

Juvia frowned. None of those names sounded familiar to her: Fairy Tail, Keyes, or Tartarus.

A young girl with blue hair added on. "The room might not look the same, we had to rebuild after the guild was destroyed. You were in a coma for two weeks."

Juvia slowly nodded. A coma? That didn't sound good. "Juvia has one more question. Who are you people?"

Everyone went still, unable to process what Juvia had just uttered.

A pink haired man broke the uncomfortable silence. "Haha," he laughed nervously. "That's a good one, Juvia, you nearly got me there!" Juvia simply looked at him with a blank stare.

Everyone stared at Juvia and reassessed her. Something seemed different about her the moment they walked in the room, but were too overjoyed to really notice. There was a strange, cold demeanor on her face, unopen and almost uncaring.

"Juvia," a red-headed woman spoke up. "Do you really not know who we are?"

Juvia shook her head and looked up when a figure emerged from the shadows, someone she hadn't noticed was there before. She sighed in relief at the familiar face. "Gajeel!"

The said man walked up to her bedside and gave a gruff smile. "Glad to see you awake."

"Juvia doesn't understand all of this. Juvia doesn't recall any battle where she was hurt."

Gajeel spoke gently. "Juvia...what is the last thing you remember?"

Juvia blinked slowly. Gajeel seemed…softer than usual. "Ummm," Juvia racked her brain. "Juvia remembers leaving Phantom Lord for a mission with Gajeel-kun," she said finally.

Everyone froze, horrified expressions on their faces.

"What? What's wrong?" asked the water mage.

"What was the date of this mission?" Gajeel asked calmly.

"Juvia thinks it was in July."

"And what was the year?"

Juvia stared at him confusedly. "784."

Juvia heard whispers and sighs of disbelief among the people in the room.

"It's August," Gajeel said.

Juvia relaxed. So not much time has passed since Juvia was in the coma-

"And the year is 791."

Juvia stiffened.

Someone slammed the door of the infirmary open, and the people crowded around Juvia's bed moved so that she could see who it was.

It was a raven-haired man, who was wearing nothing but boxer shorts and a scarf. An odd combination, Juvia thought. What a weird man.

He stumbled forward and leaned his hands onto Juvia's mattress.

"Juvia," he said softly.

"Does Juvia know you?" she asked.

The man froze in his place.

The red-headed woman with armor on spoke up. "Juvia is not feeling well. I think we should all leave her to rest in the care of Porlyusica and Gajeel." She ordered everyone to leave, and they filed out of the door with solemn looks on their faces.

Juvia watched the half-naked man resist.

"No!" he shouted against the pink-haired man and knight trying to drag him out. "NO! What does she mean by that?"

"Gray," the knight woman said sternly. "We need to leave her to rest."

Juvia heard his last words echoing in the hallway. "What's wrong with her?"

Juvia frowned and the rain outside poured even harder. Of course. Juvia was the rain woman. Even if seven years passed, she would always remain a freak, unloved and unappreciated. The familiar taunt of her childhood bullies surfaced in her mind.

 _Jeez...this rain is so depressing._

 _I hope Juvia doesn't go on the field trip. It always rains when she's around._

 _Freak! Stop making it rain!_

Juvia sighed. And now another one could be added to the list.

 _What's wrong with her?_

* * *

 **Hello everybody! Thank you so much for the favorites and follows. It would make my day if you would leave a review! And I think I know the general direction of where the story is headed, but don't hesitate to give me any suggestions :)**


	3. Confusion

"So Juvia is a mage of Fairy Tail," the water mage said slowly, still trying to comprehend her situation. For the past hour, Gajeel, Makarov, and Porlyusica examined her, studied the extent of her amnesia, and explained the time that she forgot.

"Correct," Makarov said.

Juvia conjured a small pool of water to float before her face. She raised a hand and touched her reflection, causing ripples to spread through the liquid. "But if seven years passed, why does Juvia look the same? Juvia does not appear to have aged."

Gajeel and the others further elaborated on the seven-year time freeze, which led to them explaining Tenrou island and the S-class exams, which only led to more questions and explaining. They were in that room for a long time.

* * *

"LET GO OF ME!" Gray shouted, struggling against Natsu's arms holding him back. He momentarily stopped when he heard a stern voice.

"Gray, stop."

Gray looked up at the red-headed warrior and shrunk. He almost felt a cutting sensation through his body and mind, feeling like her glare really was cutting through him.

But he didn't care. He needed to get to Juvia.

Gray threw his head back and slammed against Natsu and made a break for the door, only to be tackled by Erza, her metal armor making a hard impact on his bare torso. He futilely tried to wrestle her off, but she managed to pin him down on the floor, her knees restraining his legs and her arms tightly gripping his.

"Gray," Erza slowly said with clenched teeth. He could tell she was trying to be patient. "I understand you want to see Juvia. I understand you're confused. We all are. Even though Juvia is awake, she is not fully recovered, and she needs time, and we need to get the clear for Porlyusica that she is well and can receive visitors."

Gray stopped struggling and let himself go limp under Erza's body. "Why did she ask who I was?"

Erza pressed her lips tightly and stood up. Lucy stepped forward and answered for her. "Juvia...her condition is delicate right now. It seems like she doesn't remember who any of us are. She's confused, and only just woke up from a coma. We didn't want to put any further stress on her and impede her recovery." She stuck out a hand to Gray and helped him up. "We're just waiting now for master's and Porlyusica's instructions."

Gray slowly got up, not looking anyone in the eye, and left the room. He ran out of of the guild and into the street, the heavy rain instantly soaking him. He collapsed to his knees, and screamed.

After the screaming, he broke out into humorless laughter. Fate sure had a way of screwing with him. After years of closing himself off, he was finally ready to open his heart to Juvia, the girl who had been pining after him for years.

But she had amnesia now, and had no recollection of who he was. Even if he were to still confess to her like he had been planning to, she would only think he was a weirdo. One of the reasons he was so eager to do it as he was awaiting her to awaken was that there was no shred of doubt in his mind that she wouldn't reciprocate his feelings.

Gray stroked his scarf, staring blankly into the distance as rain ran down his cheeks, giving him the appearance of crying.

* * *

After an entire day of bed rest, Porlyusica released Juvia from the clinic. Even though the doctor gave her the clear, Juvia felt a lot less than okay. Juvia was still confused, and even though Gajeel and her guild master spent the entire day explaining her life to her, she was only left with a massive headache and more questions.

Juvia slowly walked into the main guildhall, taking in all of her surroundings. The guild was quaint, and fairly empty since it was around midnight, but even so, it seemed more warm and welcoming than the main hall of Phantom Lord.

A white-haired girl waved Juvia over, and she hesitantly sat down.  
"Hi Juvia! How are you feeling?" the girl asked cheerfully.

"Juvia feels...fine."

"That's great to hear! Master filled me in on the extent of your amnesia. My name is Mirajane Strauss. Are you hungry? The bar isn't closed yet."

Juvia slowly nodded. She had been ravenous since she woke up. Mirajane gave her food, and as Juvia ate, Mirajane rattled on about the guild members, their lives, and other general gossip. Juvia listened on in silence as she ate.

"So do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Mirajane asked.

"Juvia and Gajeel are going on a mission," Juvia replied between bites.

"So soon? You only just recovered!"

"Gajeel picked an easy mission, and Porlyusica recommended getting back into my old schedule as soon as possible so that my memories might come back." Juvia let out a big yawn and rested her head against the counter.

"Are you tired? You should go home and get some sleep." Mirajane paused. "Well, you don't know where that is, do you? Let me finish cleaning up the bar and then we'll walk home together, okay?"

Juvia nodded slowly, unaccustomed to this newfound warmth and kindness shown by Mirajane. In Phantom Lord, every guild member generally minded their own business and left Juvia alone, not wanting to get too close to the rain woman. Juvia patiently waited for Mirajane to finish wiping down the bar and plates, and then the two left the guild together.

Mirajane took out an umbrella once they stepped outside and shielded both off them from the pouring rain. She didn't mention anything about the weather, and Juvia was silently grateful. After her stressful day, she couldn't bear to hear someone else complain about the ever dreary rain. Mirajane simply continued to chatter on about guildmates, and the people who were supposedly Juvia's friends.

The two arrived at Fairy Hills not long after, the dorm was quite close to the guild building. Mirajane showed Juvia her room and said a quick goodnight before leaving Juvia alone.

Once Juvia was alone, she stood in front of her door, apprehensive of what she was going to find on the other side. She gingerly placed a hand on the doorknob, and pushed.

Juvia didn't know what she was expecting, but inexplicably, a wave of relief washed over her. Her room was certainly different than the one she had at Phantom Lord, but it was still reminiscent of her elegant style and tastes. The room was covered in cool blue shades, and Juvia leapt into her bed, finally happy that she found one familiar thing, aside from Gajeel. Juvia snuggled under her covers and wrapped her arms around a plushie she found that she recognized as her handiwork. The plushie looked like it was modeled after a man, with dark hair and no shirt.

 _I must have found something to make other than teru teru dolls_ , she thought as she fell asleep.

* * *

 **Helloooo. For everyone who's wondering about how long this story will be, I'm planning on making it around 20k words, nothing too long, but of course that's subject to change. Don't forget to leave a review and any suggestions you may have!**


	4. Who She Was

The next morning, Juvia woke up, her migraine now only a dull ache. After curling the blanket around her body and allowing herself to stay in bed for a few more moments, she tossed it off. Even if she was recovering, Juvia was a firm believer in being productive and not being idle. That meant no sleeping in, and in her spare time Juvia cooked, knitted, and practiced her magic.

Juvia rose from the bed and put her feet down on the cold wooden floors, which sent a chill through her. She ignored the chill and started to explore every inch of her apartment. Most of her tastes were familiar, like the blue color scheme, but upon finding her wardrobe, Juvia found that her style had changed. After digging through more promiscuous brightly colored clothing than what she was used to, Juvia finally found her usual conservative long blue dress, boots, and high flat hat in the back of the closet.

After taking a long, hot shower, Juvia felt rejuvenated and ready to face the outside world. She lightly stepped out of her apartment and peeked around the hallway. No one was there, and it seemed that no one was even awake either judging by the still silence. Juvia hurried out of the Fairy Hills building and headed to the guild.

* * *

Gray sat alone at his usual table in the guild hall, his back hunched over and his head resting on the table. It was early in the morning, far too early for most of the members to even be awake, but Gray couldn't sleep the entire night. All he could think about was Juvia, what he should say to her, if he should even say anything or just simply wait until her memories came back, if they came back at all.

Gray perked his ears up. It was no longer silent. Rain started pounding on the roof. _It was sunny and clear a few minutes ago. How could it pour so hard so fast?_

His answer came when the door opened and Juvia entered. He stared at her, almost disbelieving that it was really her. Instead of her loose waves, her hair was straight and rolled into tight curls at the end. She wore the same clothes she wore when he first met her, a dull and somber outfit with a bright pink umbrella to shield her from the rain. But what was most unrecognizable about her was not her wardrobe and hair, but the expression she had on her face. Gray's innards twisted. Her bright cheery expression she always wore, especially when she saw him, was now a cold and indifferent visage.

Gray almost anticipated her, the old Juvia, to come over and greet him and shower him with attention, but this Juvia didn't even acknowledge his presence and went to sit down in the darkest corner of the room.

After a few minutes of silently debating what to do, Gray finally stood up and walked over to her. Porlyusica said that Juvia's memories could return as she went through her usual routine, and Gray decided that his presence was definitely a part of Juvia's typical day.

Juvia didn't look up or even glance at Gray until he was directly in front of her, cleared his throat, and said, "Hey."

Slowly Juvia lifted her head and looked up at the ice mage. "Hello," she said with little emotion in her voice. Juvia recognized him as the man who asked what was wrong with her. She looked back down, expecting him to leave.

Gray awkwardly continued. "So...uh. Since you don't remember much about the guild, I'm Gray Fullbuster." Juvia merely stared at him without replying, she already knew that he knew who she was, no need for an introduction.

Grasping for straws, Gray talked about the weather to fill up the tense silence. "What's up with this rain? It's so gloomy."

The weather was apparently the worst thing he could have talked about.

Juvia's face contorted into a murderous look, and the rain only pounded even harder. He was almost afraid the drops would break through the roof.

How could he forget that Juvia could manipulate the weather? That before Fairy Tail, her magic caused her to never even see the sun? _Ugh._ He internally reprimanded himself, _I'm such an idiot_. Gray tried to shift the conversation to quell Juvia's anger.

"So why are you here so early here this morning? If you have some time, I could show you around the guild, we can pick a job and do a mission toget-"

Juvia looked about ready to attack him from his insensitive remark about the gloomy weather, but luckily Gajeel walked in at that moment. "Hey Juvia!" he shouted. "Let's go on the mission."

Juvia stood up and left, not even sparing Gray a glance.

When the pair was gone and Gray was once again alone in the guild, he banged his head against the wall. His plan was to win Juvia's heart, with or without her memories. But the first time, he had done virtually nothing to win her affection, he hadn't even asked for it. But this time, why was it so hard? Gray groaned. He already screwed up. _Why am I such an idiot?_

* * *

Gajeel and Juvia sat across from each other in the train. Neither talked much. Juvia stared out of the window, watching droplets of rain run down the window, while Gajeel snuck glances at her every once in awhile, bewildered in the change of his best friend. Of course, Juvia was always like this, cold and emotionless in Phantom Lord, but he had grown accustomed to her bright and cheery personality while in Fairy Tail, the Juvia that wore all her emotions on her sleeve, the Juvia that was easy to talk to.

"What?" Juvia stopped looking out the window and met Gajeel's gaze. "You've been staring at me."

Gajeel shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Don't be worried for Juvia's health. Juvia feels fine and strong enough for the mission," she said.

Gajeel sighed. "That's not what it was."

"Then what?" Juvia asked, her eyes narrowing. "Do you prefer the Juvia that had her memories as opposed to _this_?" she said, motioning towards herself.

Gajeel carefully chose his next words. "Juvia, no matter who you are, you will always be my best friend, and I will always accept you."

Juvia's tense shoulders relaxed, then a confused look came over her face. "That doesn't seem like something Gajeel would say. You've become…" Juvia searched for the right words. " _Softer._ "

Gajeel growled and shouted, "Hey! I'm still as strong as ever, even stronger. I'm not a softie."

Juvia laughed. "Now that's familiar. But Juvia only meant that Gajeel seems less harsh, and more caring. More open too."

"Well I've changed since joining Fairy Tail," he said leaning back into his seat. "And so have you. You changed a lot. That's why I've been staring, you're just...really different from the Juvia I talked to just last month."

"Everyone has been explaining to Juvia what happened to her, what happened in the guild, and what mission we took. But no one explained who Juvia was. If I changed, nobody told me how." Juvia wrapped her arms around her knees. "Everyone in the guild, everyone I see, it's like they're expecting something out of me, and all I give them is disappointment."

Gajeel crossed his arms and racked his brain for minute on how to explain. "Fairy Tail...is a warm guild. Kind, and cheerful. The people there, they're not just comrades or just members that the only thing you have in common with is the guild tattoo. The people at Fairy Tail, they're your friends. They always have your back, and they always accept you."

Juvia looked up from her lap. "Juvia doesn't feel very accepted."

"That's because they're just confused. Fairy Tail warmed you up, and its brightness drove away your darkness. And mine too, I guess. You became really happy while in Fairy Tail, really cheery and bubbly because you found people who loved you. After Phantom Lord disbanded, it was you who reached out to me and suggested that I join the guild. I'll always be grateful for that Juvia."

Juvia stared at Gajeel, disbelief in her eyes. "Okay," she said after a while. "Juvia has no more questions." She resumed staring at the window, hardly noticing that the rain drops came down less heavily because she was too deep in thought. _Juvia was...happy?_

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Just wanted to let you know that I usually update as soon as I'm done with a chapter, which should probably be at least once every two weeks, but hopefully will be much more frequently. I'm trying to write more because this month is NaNoWriMo, and so far that seems to be pretty good motivation for me. Please tell me your thoughts in a review! I really appreciate them :)**


	5. Me and the Girls

Juvia walked leisurely back to her home at Fairy Tail Hills, her umbrella in her hand and boots making heavy splashing sounds every time she took a step. Juvia waved a hand and made the raindrops dance and bounce around her. For once, she reveled in being alone with her rain. No one to stare, or hate. Just her and her element as one.

Her mission with Gajeel had been a success, it was fairly easy, a simple task of taking out some bandits hiding in a nearby forest. Juvia had been quite surprised when she used her magic. It was stronger now, and her water was even more easily bent to her will. Juvia felt a newfound sense of pride at herself. She was more powerful.

Juvia had been surprised at Gajeel too. He had definitely gotten stronger than she last remembered, but not only that, he took care just to round and tie up the bandits, causing as little damage as necessary. The old Gajeel Juvia knew would have pummeled every man half to death, and Juvia had to say, she quite liked the new Gajeel.

Juvia let Gajeel go to the guild and report the success. She left for home, even though it was still early afternoon, because she didn't want to see anybody. Gajeel said that Fairy Tail was a warm and welcoming guild, but she certainly didn't feel that way this morning when that raven-haired man called her rain gloomy, and so she really wasn't in the mood to see any more guild members other than Gajeel.

Juvia twirled her fingers and created water bubbles that floated and swirled around her. She added onto them one by one, wanting to see how many she could control at once.

"JUVIA!"

The water mage flinched and all of her carefully crafted bubbles popped at the sound of the shrill voice.

Heavy boots raced towards her until they stopped by Juvia's side. It was the red-headed knight she saw when she woke up.

More footsteps came until there were several more girls surrounding Juvia, all out of breath and panting. They didn't even have umbrellas to cover themselves, so Juvia conjured a water shield to protect them from the pelting rain.

Juvia waited until the armored woman caught her breath and straightened up. "Juvia, Mirajane told me you were back from your mission."

Juvia nodded slowly, unsure of what that had to do with the girls running to her so frantically.

"And Gajeel said you would be walking back to your place." The woman thrust a paper into Juvia's face. "You're going on a mission with us."

Juvia raised her eyebrows in puzzlement.

"Um, what Erza means is," said a busty blonde girl. "Is that we were thinking you should spend some quality time with us, your friends, so that maybe your memories can come back faster."

Juvia still wasn't in the mood to be around anyone, so she made an excuse. "Juvia just back from the mission with Gajeel. Juvia is tired, and would like to go back to her room and get rest." Juvia side-stepped the group and continued on her way.

"Oh," said a small, blue-haired girl dejectedly.

Juvia was stopped in her tracks by an metal-plated arm blocking her way. She looked up into the fierce gaze of who the arm belonged to, and shivered.

"No. Half the day hasn't even passed yet, and you're going on the mission with us. Besides," the knight jabbed a finger into Juvia's chest. "You're strong, you can handle it. You may not remember it, but during the S-class exams, you were so strong and ruthless that you even scared _me_."

Juvia found that hard to believe as she looked at the menacing knight, but she didn't want to argue out of fear of displeasing the fearsome woman.

"Um, o-okay. Juvia supposes she can-"

"Great!" A brunette girl staggered forward and threw one arm around Juvia's shoulders, and with the other arm, took a swig from a bottle of alcohol. "It's a girls' night out!" she shouted gleefully into Juvia's ear.

Juvia winced and her shoulders sagged. This was a rowdy bunch, but it couldn't hurt to get to know her so-called friends better, and a little part of Juvia actually looked forward to the journey with them.

* * *

Juvia stumbled out of the train, her muscles stiff from sitting for so long. She stretched her arms out and stretched.

"Um, Erza-san, how long did you say this mission was going to take?" Juvia asked.

The knight mage smiled. "A few days, a week at most. And just call me Erza."

"Okay," Juvia said. On the long train ride, the girls were very talkative and Juvia learned a lot about them. They were still strangers to her, but she felt slightly more comfortable around them and managed to learn all their names. "Juvia didn't pack anything though, she wasn't expecting to be gone so long."

"That's okay." Erza patted the mountainous amount of luggage she was hauling around. "I packed plenty."

"Yeah!" Lucy chimed in. "Besides, you can share clothes with probably all of us. We're all about the same size."

"Mmhmm," Cana said. "And I brought plenty of booze so don't you worry about being thirsty." Cana winked at Juvia and took another swig of her bottle.

Levy pulled out a map. "That way." She pointed to the road ahead of them. Everyone wordlessly started walking.

Juvia, although tired, trudged along without complaint because she didn't want to disappoint her newfound companions.

* * *

Gray paced back and forth in front of the Fairy Hills dormitory. He had been waiting for hours. Mirajane told him her mission with Gajeel shouldn't have taken long, and so he waited for her to return for nearly half the day, but time passed relatively quickly because he was deliberating on what to say and thinking about the whole unfortunate situation.

Gray wanted to apologize for his insensitive comment in the morning. It wasn't her fault that her magic caused rain. He shoved his hands in his pockets, then realized he had none because he had taken off his pants sometime ago, so instead he ran his hands through his hair. In fact, he realized, the whole reason she fell in love with him was because he took away the rain and showed her the clear skies. He grinned. A solution, at last!

He paused. But how did one get rid of her rain? It wasn't easy the first time. He had fought an exhausting battle with her until most of her magic was drained back when Fairy Tail was fighting Phantom Lord, and now, seriously fighting a fellow guild member out of the blue would hardly seem appropriate. He sighed. Winning her back was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

Gray glanced at the sky. The sun was already setting, and she still wasn't back. He groaned in frustration. He looked around one last time, and decided to go back to the guild to ask Mirajane if she knew anything about where Juvia was.

 _Hmm. That's weird._ Gray had the sudden realization that though he had been standing in front of the female dormitory half the day, he had seen almost none of the girls going in or coming out of the building. He dismissed the thought as he ran down the road.

* * *

"WHAT?" Gray shouted.

Mirajane raised her hands in defense. "Sorry, Gray! I only found out as Erza and the other girls were leaving, and that was this afternoon."

"But they're going to be gone for days." Gray sighed. His luck was always the worst. "Why did they have to bring Juvia along?"

Mirajane patted his arm, trying to console him. "They wanted to spend some quality girl time with Juvia, sorry that takes your time away from her though."

Gray rested his head down on the table. "Guess I'll just...wait then."


	6. Rain, rain, go away

Juvia brushed through her hair and changed out of her borrowed sleep clothes from Lucy. Last night, on the way to the mission's destination, the girls stopped and set up camp. It had not been a pleasant experience spending the night outdoors with the constant rain, but Juvia was thankful that no one complained.

Eventually, all the girls were up and about, busy making breakfast, getting dressed, and starting to pack up the camp. And Juvia noticed that as much as possible, the girls tried to include Juvia in every possible task. At first she found it ingratiating, she liked to be left alone, but then she warmed up to them and their efforts to include her.

"All right, let's move out!" Erza said with a wave of her hand. She stomped forward in the mud, leading the way for the others.

Around three hours passed, and the time was passed with near constant chattering among the girls. By the time they reached their destination, Juvia was filled in on all the know-how and gossip of the guild, and she was well acquainted with everyone's personalities and felt much more at ease with them.

"We're here," Erza announced. Juvia peered over the tall woman's shoulder and took in the sight before her.

The girls found themselves in a small, run-down village. There were small huts and a large empty campfire at the center. There were children, running about and chasing each other, all dirty and without shoes. And the adults were walking about, also disheveled with rags for clothing. Juvia felt her heart constrict at the sight.

And all at once, every motion in the town stopped. The children stopped playing and the adults dropped what they were doing and looked toward the sky at the rain.

Juvia shied behind Erza's armor. These people were miserable enough, and her rain only brought more gloom and-

Juvia's thoughts were interrupted by screams and yells from the villagers. Were they really that opposed to her rain? Juvia looked up and was surprised to see smiles and people dancing, their mouths open, trying to catch the rain with their tongues. They were _happy_.

"Rain!"

"It's raining!"

"Finally!"

Juvia stared at them in shock. She had never heard the words "rain" and "it's raining" uttered so heartfeltly and with pure joy.

An old man ran forward to the group of mages. "It's raining!" he exclaimed. "I'm the mayor of this village, I sent out the job request. I never expected anything back, asking to make it rain, even with magic, is unheard of. Is this your doing?"

Erza smiled at the man. "When we saw the job request, we had the perfect mage in mind." She stepped back and pushed Juvia forward. "This is Juvia Lockser, Fairy Tail's water mage, controller of the rain."

"Controller of rain," he said in wonder. The old man bent down and pressed his lips to Juvia's boots.

"Oh! Uh, you don't have to do that," Juvia said, abashed.

He got up and clasped her hands tightly in his. "This village hasn't seen rain in eight years. We were once well-off, and we lived off of what we could farm and sold the surplus, but ever since the drought, there's been pretty much nothing growing in our farmlands."

Juvia stared at him. "So you're saying...you want the rain? You like Juvia's rain?"

The old man stared deep into her eyes. "Young miss, we need it. And we love your rain."

Juvia smiled at him, the most sincere smile she had ever given, or at least remembered giving. No one had ever told her that before. Everyone was always saying that they hated the rain and that they wanted it to go away, but no one had ever told her that it was needed and loved.

"Show me where your farmlands are."

* * *

All the villagers followed Juvia and the mayor to the farmlands; they all wanted to see the beauty of Juvia's magic in action.

Juvia and the other mages arrived at the fields, which was completely dry cracked earth. The rain was not going to be enough.

Juvia raised her arms, which turned into two whirlpools of liquid, and shot out water like a powerful hose onto the fields.

The villagers whooped and cheered for her, which made Juvia blush and work even harder.

Levy jumped in next to Juvia. "I can help too!" She stepped into the field. "Solid script: dirt!"

At once, a clump of rich, brown earth appeared in the air and then fell to the ground. She turned to the villagers and explained. "This dirt is rich and full of nutrients! It'll be great for growing crops."

Lucy took out one of her celestial keys. "Virgo!"

The pink-haired maid appeared and bowed to Lucy. "Punishment time?"

"No Virgo! I need you to mix Levy's fresh brown dirt evenly into this field. We're trying to make a fertile farmland."

"Understood," the spirit said before digging into the ground.

"Requip!" Erza shouted before changing her outerwear. She switched her sword for two hoes and her armor for some overalls and a cowboy hat. She tossed one of the hoes to Cana. "Let's get to work!"

And all day, both the mages and the villagers worked tirelessly on the farm field, planting seeds, watering, and mixing the dirt. By the time, nightfall came, everyone was utterly exhausted and the girls all collapsed into their beds in the guest hut the mayor had provided for them. Juvia slowly drifted to sleep, a smile tugging on the corner of her lips from the memory of the day's events.

* * *

In the dead of the night, an old lady hobbled by the village and by the farmlands. She looked over the field. "Arc of time," she whispered. The woman turned and continued on her way.

* * *

Juvia and the girls were woken by shouts and screaming outside their hut. Erza hurriedly got up and requiped into her battle armor, while the rest of the girls were rubbing their eyes and still trying to sit up.

One of the villagers ran into their hut.

"What's going on?" Erza asked.

"It's a miracle! All the seeds we planted, they're full grown now!" She bowed to Erza and then left as quickly as she came.

The group of girls quickly got dressed and went outside to see the commotion and if what the woman said was really true.

When they arrived at the fields, their jaws dropped. The barren, empty land of yesterday was now filled with vegetation, ripening fruits and vegetables on trees and bushes that were taller than they were.

The old mayor hobbled forward when he saw them. "I don't what you did, but thank you!" He shook Juvia's hand.

"Oh, um. But Juvia didn't-"

The villagers saw their mayor's display and they whooped and cheered for Juvia and the rest of the mages.

"Tonight," the mayor said. "We're feasting!"

* * *

The female mages of Fairy Tail were treated like royalty all day by the villagers. When nightfall came, everyone gathered around the large campfire for the feast. Despite the simplicity, the food was absolutely delicious, and the fruits from the field were sweet beyond compare. Cana even brought enough alcohol for everybody; it was a real party.

Juvia watched intently at the village dancers, who spun and twirled in the rain. In fact, most of the people in the village weren't shying away or trying to find cover, they reveled and soaked in the rain, letting it wash away the dirt from their skin and the misery of the last eight years from their souls.

Never in her life had Juvia felt so appreciated, and so loved.

* * *

The journey back to Magnolia, Juvia was in high spirits. The train ride back to the city, all the girls did was talk and laugh. And this time, instead of being stoically silent and ignoring everyone, Juvia felt like she really belonged with the girls, and that she found friends who accepted her with all her faults, a first for the rain woman.

Juvia was the last to step off the train, still laughing at one of Cana's jokes. All the girls were standing on the platform, all silent and staring at something in the distance.

Juvia abruptly stopped laughing and was on guard. "What? Is something wrong?"

Levy wordlessly pointed to the sky in the distance.

Juvia looked over. It was still early in the morning, and off in the distance was the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, and streaking the sky with gorgeous hues of orange, red, and purple.

Juvia closed her eyes as a realization came to her. Not only was that the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen, it was the only one. And this was the first time she had even seen the sky. She opened her eyes again and took in the sights before her. It had finally stopped raining.

* * *

 **What if the only reason Juvia ever even fell in love with Gray was because he stopped her rain? Because he showed her the skies? Well Juvia's rain is gone now, and it's thanks to her new friends. What will this mean for Gray and Juvia? Does he stand a chance?**

 **Thanks everyone for reading, and the favorites and follows! I really appreciate the reviews, and I always welcome polite, constructive criticism.**


	7. Something New, Something Blue

Gray was slumped on the bar counter of the guild hall, as per usual ever since he declared he would wait for Juvia's return. He stared at the door with dull eyes, absentmindedly taking a swig from his cup every once in awhile.

And suddenly, the doors burst open and Juvia walked in.

 _Juvia._

Gray sat bolt upright and stared at her, speechless. She was wearing a bright pink sundress that flared around her hips, proudly showing off her long legs and slim shoulders. It was her usual outfit, usual meaning that it was the Fairy Tail Juvia's usual outfit, not the depressing Phantom Lord garb. Her expression was bright, cheery, and open, and she had a smile on her face. Gray's heart surged. He missed that smile, more than he thought. And most importantly, Gray saw past her outside and noticed that there were clear and sunny skies, no rain or clouds in sight.

And that could only mean one thing. _She remembers_.

Gray stood up and ran towards her. "Juvia!" he called out. The woman turned at the sound of her name and their eyes met. Gray stopped in his tracks when he saw that there was none of that familiar adorance and affection in her eyes.

And just as quickly as his heart rate surged, it now sank back down into the deepest depths of his chest.

After an awkward pause, Gray realized that she was waiting for him to say something. He was the one who called out for her in the first place.

"Um. Hey." Gray forced a smile and gave a limp half-wave.

"Hi," she said, hesitantly returning the smile.

"You look….nice."

"Thanks."

Gray stared at her, but no blush appeared, no flustered smile, no crazy fantasies of their imagined future together. Juvia remained for a moment longer, then excused herself and walked past him.

"Wait!" Gray turned to her when she was just past his shoulder. "I wanted to say, I'm sorry. For the way I acted earlier, well, a few days ago. I was rude, and insensitive."

Juvia's eyes flickered up to meet his. "It's fine. Juvia is okay now. And the rain's gone, see?" She motioned outside to the sunny weather.

"Yeah," Gray said. _I do see_. Juvia walked off and Gray was left to stare at her back, watching as she cheerfully greeted several of her friends and guild members.

He sighed and sulked back to the bar.

"Gray," Mirajane said softly as he laid his head down dejectedly on the table.

"Hmm."

"You've been waiting days for her to come back, and all you say is 'hey' and 'sorry'"?

Gray groaned. "I wanted to...to get rid of her rain. Like the first time we met. That's how she fell in love with me. But now it's already gone, and it wasn't my doing."

Mirajane chuckled. "Gray, you don't need some far-fetched plan to win Juvia's heart. Just be a gentleman, be a friend, woo her and do it the old-fashioned way."

Gray lifted his head and stared at her. Mirajane could almost the cogs and gears working and turning in his head. And suddenly, he got up from his seat and ran out the door.

* * *

About one week had passed by, and for everyone in the guild, it seemed like they were getting to know a new Juvia. Gone was the girl from Phantom Lord, and gone was the girl who lurked in corners and obsessed over "Gray-sama" every waking moment. In her place was a confident, bubbly woman who knew everyone in the guild and quickly became one of the most popular girls in the guild, and then Fiore, even landing herself a photo spread in Weekly Sorcerer.

And just like how there was a new Juvia, there was also a new Gray, who lurked in corners to watch Juvia's every move, stammered hi to her when they passed, and made awkward conversation with her.

When Gray finally thought that their relationship had been upgraded from strangers to somewhat friends, he mustered up the courage and decided to give her a rose, made entirely from his ice magic.

Like any other day, Gray found himself sitting in the corner of the guild, waiting for Juvia to arrive, idly playing with the flower sculpture in his hand and wondering if this was what Juvia did back when she still liked him.

The sound of the door opening made Gray lift his head to see if it was her. Juvia walked in, and before he could lose his courage, Gray swiftly stood up and started walking across the room towards Juvia.

Just when he was a few feet away and Gray was about to open his mouth to greet her, someone burst through the door and strode right up to the water mage, bent down, and kissed her hand.

Gray dropped his carefully crafted ice rose in anger and shock.

Because that someone was Lyon Vastia.


	8. Mr Steal-Yo-Girl

A hurricane of silver hair and extravagant clothes burst through the door and exclaimed Juvia's name like it was the sweetest melody in the world. The entrance caught Juvia's attention, and her eyes widened even more when the man stepped forward boldly, bent down on one knee, took her hand, and kissed it with the gentleness of the flap of a butterfly's wings.

Before Juvia could say anything, express her confusion or discomfort, the man quickly rose and a torrent of words rushed out of his mouth.

"Juvia! When I heard you were gravely injured from your brave and heroic battle with those Tartaros fiends, I was devastated." Lyon held both of her hands in his and brought them to his chest. "My heart felt like it was to shatter, knowing you were in a state of life or death. My sweet, I'm sorry I did not come sooner, but I was on a faraway mission and I have only just now come home." Lyon paused and waited for her to say something.

"Oh! Um…" Juvia was at a lost for what to say. She had no idea who this man was, but the way he acted, it seemed as if he were a close one before Juvia lost her memories. "Juvia is very flattered you came to see her. Juvia doesn't think you've heard the entire story though. When Juvia woke up from her coma, her memories were gone. The last thing she remembers is being in Phantom Lord, and unfortunately, she doesn't recall who you are."

Lyon stared at her, blinking in surprise for a few moments, before gaining his composure again. He bowed deeply to her and rose again. "In that case, let me introduce myself. I am Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale and I am humbled to be in the presence of such a beautiful, radiant woman."

Juvia blushed. No man had ever given this much care and attention toward her.

"And since you no longer know me well anymore, would you allow me to do you the honor of treating you to dinner tonight?"

Gray clenched his fists, anger rising to a boiling point as he watched the two. But somehow, he didn't step forward. Juvia hardly knew him. What right did he have to interfere now?

"Oh!" Juvia stared at him in surprise. "Um, sure."

Lyon jerked back in surprise. He would have never expected her to agree, even in a amnesiatic state. Perhaps he had overestimated her love for Gray, which was now apparently gone.

"I'll see you tonight then," Lyon said breathlessly. He left the guild without another word, his face still the expression of utter shock.

* * *

And this was why, hours later, Gray found himself hiding inside bushes just outside the window of the restaurant Juvia and Lyon were dining at.


	9. The END

**Sorry for the wait! But here it is, the end. Hope you enjoy. And leave a review! I love reviews. Things in _italics_ are thoughts. **

* * *

"Mmhmm," Juvia said, shoving another lump of pasta into her mouth. Truthfully, she had stopped listening to what Lyon was saying a long while ago. The man could certainly talk. And talk, and talk, and talk. Mostly about himself and his heroic deeds and exercise regime. Self-confidence was nice trait to have, but this was a bit much for Juvia.

Juvia's gaze drifted to the window of the Italian restaurant. A month ago, no, even a week, Juvia would have been desperate for anyone's affection. All her life she had been shunned by the world, rejected for her rain and problems. Even in Phantom Lord, she was only wanted for her power; it was a shallow guild.

But when she woke up in Fairy Tail, it felt like a miracle. As if she were sleeping beauty finally woken up by a kiss from a prince. No, it wasn't a prince she needed, but the love and acceptance her friends and guildmates at Fairy Tail showed her. She wasn't the same person she was in Phantom Lord anymore. She didn't need to scramble for scraps of affection, she had plenty of self love on her own now, and deserved only the best.

A small movement in the corner of the window caught Juvia's eye. A flash of raven black...hair? Juvia shook her head. _Must have been a bird or something._

She turned back to Lyon. He was finishing up some anecdote about one of his missions when he first got to his guild. He glanced at the clock.

"Listen, Juvia," Lyon said, taking her hand in his. "It's getting late and I have to catch the train back. But I would love to do this again."

Juvia sighed. "Juvia...thinks Lyon is a really nice man-"

Lyon groaned. "This is the speech." He shook his head. "I thought we were having a good time."

Juvia smiled. "Even though Juvia has really appreciated the time and effort put into tonight, Lyon just isn't the right man."

"I understand." Lyon gave her a smile. "And thanks for giving me at least a chance. Before, I had asked you out so many times but you were always hung up on...nevermind."

"Thank you so much for tonight, really."

Lyon nodded. "No less than a girl like you deserves." He leaned in closer. "Just remember, you deserve the very best and no less. Don't let anyone treat you less than you deserve."

Juvia smiled. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the window smashing and a man tumbling through.

It was Gray.

"I've had enough of this!" he shouted.

Juvia, as well as the rest of the restaurant, stared at him in shock.

"Juvia, I know I haven't been the best guy, but Lyon? Juvia don't be with him."

"Actually-" Lyon started to say.

"Stay out of this Lyon," Gray glared at him. Lyon shrugged and leaned back in his chair to enjoy the scene.

Gray turned back to Juvia. "Like I was saying, I know I haven't been the best guy to you, and maybe you probably don't even remember that. But when you were lying there in the infirmary, not knowing when, or if you'd wake up…" his voice shook. He stepped closer to her and bent down on his knees so that he was eye level with her.

"Juvia I realize that I took you granted. And you're amazing and wonderful and probably deserve a much better guy than me, but please, if you give me a chance I'll show you I can be more and do so much more. Because you're sweet and kind and were patient enough to love a jerk like me, and I'm sorry I didn't reciprocate sooner because I was scared."

Juvia was still speechless. Most of what he was talking about she didn't remember. Had he wronged her in the past? He created an entire scene, bursting through the window and now every patron in the restaurant was staring at them. She suppressed a laugh. Somehow this felt familiar. This chaos, the unknown, the intrigue, the pining. The fast beating her of heart.

"Give me a chance." Gray held out his hand.

Juvia glanced at Lyon, who was vigorously nodding his head, as well as almost every other person in the room.

Juvia turned back to Gray and put her hand in his.

"Yes."

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Juvia cleaned the dishes, scrubbing harshly at a grease stain that wouldn't disappear. Her daughter tugged at her apron.

"Mommy come see what I made!"

"In a minute sweetie, let mommy finish the dishes." Juvia bent down and kissed her head. The little girl pouted, her blue pigtails angrily swinging from side to side.

"When's daddy coming home?"

"In a few days I think. It's a far away mission this time."

"Why didn't you go?"

"I thought we already explained this." Juvia picked the girl up and set her down on the counter. She took her hand and guided it to her stomach.

"Oh yeah." The girl looked unimpressed. "The baby."

Juvia laughed. "Yes the baby."

"I still don't understand the baby. Where did it even come from? Now you can't have fun and go on missions with dad anymore."

"One day you'll understand."

They heard the front door open and slam shut.

"I'm home!" a voice called.

"Daddy!" The girl shrieked and ran to the front door.

Gray came into the kitchen, carrying her in his arms.

"I thought you weren't coming home for another few days," Juvia said.

"Couldn't resist coming home early to my girls." Gray ruffled his daughter's hair affectionately. "And we finished it early."

Gray walked over and took the dishes from Juvia's hand. "I'll take care of the rest, go rest or play with Ultear."

"No," Juvia protested. "You just got back from the mission and I'm almost done anyway!" Gray gently nudged her away.

"Shoo, I'll do the rest."

Juvia moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Gray looked away.

"Oh no, don't you do that again."

"Do what?"

"Make that pouty guilty face you always do!" Juvia placed her hand on his cheek and moved his head so that he was looking into her eyes. "I know you keep apologizing for what a jerk you were before the incident, but I don't even remember."

"Just because you don't remember doesn't mean I didn't do anything wrong."

"Well you've done so much for me, to make up for it. Tenfold! You've given me a new life, a child." Juvia looked down at her belly. "Children! You've made me unbelievably happy. More happiness than I could have ever imagined for myself. So quit being mopey and all guilty."

Gray sighed. "But-"

Juvia placed a finger on Gray's lips. "Shush!" She quickly changed the topic. "So, I've been thinking about names."

"Hmm. Like what?"

"Since it's a boy, what do you think about...Lyon?"

Gray burst into laughter. "No way!" He picked her up and spun her around. "Here's an idea. How about we ask Ultear what she wants to name her little brother."

Juvia gave him a quick peck on the cheek before running to the living room to spend time with her daughter.

Gray turned back to the dishes and smiled. This was the life. His dream. Their happily ever after and he couldn't ask for more. He glanced up at the window when he heard pitter-pattering on the roof. _Good thing I made it home when I did._ Gray reached over and closed the window. He turned around and looked at his wife and daughter drawing and playing in the living room.

 _Actually, the rain isn't so bad after all._


End file.
